Eloy Jimenez's game-winning home run puts crosstown trade back in spotlight

Jose Quintana

It wasn't so much that the White Sox beat the Cubs, 3-1, on Tuesday night. It was the way the Sox beat the Cubs that provoked so much discussion.

Eloy Jimenez, the Sox left fielder and former top Cubs prospect, hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning off Pedro Strop to break a 1-1 tie. Sox closer Alex Colome worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth for his 15th save in as many chances, and that was that.

But Cubs fans are pretty unhappy about this one, with a player that their front office traded away coming back to haunt them while wearing a Sox uniform.

This result has provoked a new round of discontent about the July 13, 2017, trade that saw the Sox send left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana to the North Side in exchange for Jimenez, Dylan Cease, Bryant Flete and Matt Rose.

Cubs fans are feeling their team gave up "too much" for Quintana, whom they perceive as a bottom-of-the-rotation pitcher. I saw one comment on Facebook this morning where someone indicated the Cubs never should have made the deal because "they were not a powerhouse" in 2017.

I think this is all foolish. Quintana has helped the Cubs for the past two years. I don't think they make the playoffs, let alone the National League Championship Series, in 2017 if they don't make the trade. In case we forgot, the Cubs were 43-45 at the time of the deal. They finished that season 93-69 and won the NL Central, with Quintana going 7-3 for them in 14 starts.

Jimenez is a rookie in the major leagues, and a promising one at that. His home run last night was his 12th of the season, and we're not even halfway through the year. Cease is expected to be in the major leagues before 2019 is over. Flete and Rose are no longer in the Sox organization, so forget about them.

Did the Cubs give up too much? Maybe. It depends on the career arc of Jimenez and Cease. Both are still young, and it's not clear just how good they will be.

My assessment: The trade has helped the Cubs and is continuing to help the Cubs. The trade is starting to help the Sox and will continue to help the Sox going forward. I would have said that before Tuesday's game, and I say that now.

In baseball, you can't wildly change your assessment about players and trades based upon one game.

I disagree with the idea that Quintana is a bottom-of-the-rotation pitcher. Line up his numbers with Jon Lester's, and there isn't that much of a difference. (Worth noting, Lester is revered by Cubs fans):

Quintana in 2017: 7-3, 3.74 ERA in 14 starts, 1.103 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 7.7 H/9, 2.2 BB/9
Lester in 2017: 13-8, 4.33 ERA in 32 starts, 1.323 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 8.9 H/9, 3.0 BB/9

Quintana in 2018: 13-11, 4.03 ERA in 32 starts, 1.319 WHIP, 8.2 K/9, 8.4 H/9, 3.5 BB/9
Lester in 2018: 18-6, 3.32 ERA in 32 starts, 1.310 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 8.6 H/9, 3.2 BB/9

Quintana in 2019: 4-6, 3.87 ERA in 14 starts, 1.339 WHIP, 7.7 K/9, 9.1 H/9, 2.9 BB/9
Lester in 2019: 5-5, 4.08 ERA in 13 starts, 1.344 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 9.9 H/9, 2.2 BB/9

Look at those peripherals, folks. There isn't a big disparity here, and this isn't a small sample size. I'm not sure I understand the contempt for Quintana among many in the North Side fan base.

If Cubs management declines the team option on Quintana this offseason, I'd take him back on the South Side without a second thought. He's clearly better than Ivan Nova and Odrisamer Despaigne, you know? 

White Sox trade Jose Quintana to Cubs for four prospects

Jose Quintana

Shock and disbelief are reverberating throughout Chicago, after the White Sox traded left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana to the crosstown Cubs on Thursday.

I'm probably not as stunned as some people are. If you watched any of the Sox-Rockies series over the weekend, you might have heard Ken Harrelson and Steve Stone talking about how it would be "crazy" for the Sox not to entertain trade offers from the Cubs.

Harrelson, for better or for worse, has long been regarded as a mouthpiece for Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. Listen carefully to the oracle, and you might be able to read the tea leaves. If Harrelson is talking about a potential Sox-Cubs deal, then you shouldn't be shocked when one occurs.

Let's take a look at the four guys the Sox acquired:

• Eloy Jimenez, OF -- The best prospect in the Cubs' system, the 20-year-old outfielder is ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the game, according to Baseball America. Jimenez, who was on the World roster for the Futures Game, was hitting 271/.351/.490 with eight home runs and 32 RBI in 42 games with Class-A Myrtle Beach this season. 
• Dylan Cease, RHP -- The sixth-round pick of the Cubs in 2014, Cease was regarded as the best pitching prospect in the North Siders' system. He is ranked as the No. 83 prospect in the game, according to Baseball America. In 13 starts with Class-A South Bend, Cease had a 2.79 ERA and 1.258 WHIP with 74 strikeouts.
• Matt Rose, 1B-3B -- The 22-year-old was an 11th-round pick in 2015. Rose had a .227/.281/.481 slash line with 14 home runs and 38 RBIs in 65 games at Myrtle Beach this season.
• Bryant Flete, IF-OF -- The 24-year-old has played both infield and outfield positions. He was slashing .305/.355/.425 with six home runs and 37 RBIs in 70 games at Myrtle Beach.

People who know me will probably not be surprised that I'm less than enthusiastic about this trade. I'm not going to say that Sox general manager Rick Hahn did not acquire good prospects in this deal -- he did. He said he was looking to get the top two prospects out of an organization in a Quintana trade, and the Cubs clearly met his asking price.

That said, while Jimenez and Cease are high-quality prospects, neither is close to MLB-ready. Both still need significant development time in the minor leagues, and the Sox are going to have to coach these guys up in order for them to reach their potential.

Based upon what you've seen over the past 10 or 15 years, what have the Sox done to earn our faith as fans that they can develop this talent? Very little in my estimation, and that's why I'm less than excited about this haul, just as I wasn't overly enthused about the haul the Sox get in the Chris Sale and Adam Eaton trades.

It's nice to have a highly regarded farm system, but that doesn't amount to a hill of beans if the Sox do not handle these prospects correctly. I will continue to be skeptical until I see results at the major league level, and I think we all understand that it will be a few years before we can make any firm judgments on that.

As I've said before, it's not the rebuild itself that offends me. It's the actors in charge of the rebuild who concern me. The fan base seems to be in favor of this trade, and frankly, I've surprised by the lack of skepticism among Sox fans these days.

In the past, we as a fan base have always been willing to ask tough questions, to not just take things on faith or face value. In this rebuild, we are putting a lot of faith in the same people who brought us Jeff Keppinger, Adam LaRoche, James Shields and assorted other bums.

We can only hope their judgment of young talent, and their development of that young talent, is much better than their judgment on which veteran players to pursue in trades and in free agency.